Eastnor Castle
Encyclopedia
Ledbury
Ledbury is a town in Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and south of the Malvern Hills.Today, Ledbury is a thriving market town in rural England. The town has a large number of timber framed buildings, in particular along Church Lane and High Street. One of Ledbury's most outstanding...
in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, by the village of Eastnor
Eastnor, Herefordshire
Eastnor is a village in Herefordshire, England, east of Ledbury. Eastnor Castle is nearby, and named after the village.St John's Church was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1852.-External links:...
. It was founded by John Cocks, 1st Earl Somers
John Cocks, 1st Earl Somers
John Somers Cocks, 1st Earl Somers , known as The Lord Somers between 1806 and 1821, was a British peer and politician.-Background and education:...
as his stately home and continues to be inhabited by his descendents. Currently (2011) in residence is the family of James Hervey-Bathurst, the grandson of Arthur Somers-Cocks, 6th Baron Somers
Arthur Somers-Cocks, 6th Baron Somers
Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Herbert Tennyson Somers-Cocks, 6th Baron Somers, KCMG, DSO, MC , son of Herbert Haldane Somers-Cocks by Blanche Margaret Standish Clogstoun...
. The castle is a Grade I listed building.
History
It was constructed between 1812-20 at a cost of £85,000 or equivalent to approximately between £6 to £28 million in the present day (2007).The estate was started in the late 16th century when the Cocks family purchased local land. Subsequent marriages into the Somers and Nash families helped provide the wealth and substance necessary to build this imposing castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
which was designed to look like a medieval castle guarding the Welsh borders. The architect was Robert Smirke
Robert Smirke (architect)
Sir Robert Smirke was an English architect, one of the leaders of Greek Revival architecture his best known building in that style is the British Museum, though he also designed using other architectural styles...
and Augustus Pugin
Augustus Pugin
Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin was an English architect, designer, and theorist of design, now best remembered for his work in the Gothic Revival style, particularly churches and the Palace of Westminster. Pugin was the father of E. W...
designed the Gothic drawing room.
In 1984, both the band Slade
Slade
Slade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton, who rose to prominence during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. With 17 consecutive Top 20 hits and six number ones, the British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles...
and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
made use of the castle. Slade used it to film their video for "Run Runaway
Run Runaway
"Run Runaway" is a hard rock song performed by English band Slade. The song was written by Jim Lea and Noddy Holder and was on their 1983 album The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome...
" and the BBC to film the exterior shots of Abner Brown's theological college in their adaptation of The Box of Delights
The Box of Delights
The Box of Delights is a children's fantasy novel by John Masefield. It is a sequel to The Midnight Folk, and was first published in 1935.-Plot summary :...
.
The 1986 film adaptation of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
's The Canterville Ghost
The Canterville Ghost (1986 film)
The Canterville Ghost, based on the novel The Canterville Ghost, is a 1986 made-for-TV family film directed by Paul Bogart. It was shot at Eastnor Castle...
was shot here.
The grounds are the location of the Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
vehicle test track. The off road circuits at Eastnor Castle provide some of the most challenging all-terrain driving experiences in the UK. Each year in June Eastnor castle is host to the Landrover World Event and offers visitors the chance to try off roading in the latest models of Range Rover
Range Rover
The Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation...
, Freelander and the classic Defender.
During the summer of 2010 the American reality competition television program, The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race 17
The Amazing Race 17 is the seventeenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 17 features 11 teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
, filmed a number of tasks of a medieval theme at the castle for the first episode of season seventeen of the program including the first ‘pit stop’ of the race. The episode originally aired on 26 September 2010. The venue became internationally famous as it was in this episode that one contestant was hit in the face by a backfiring watermelon.
Events
- The deer parkParkA park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
at Eastnor is the venue for The Big ChillThe Big Chill (music festival)The Big Chill is an annual festival of alternative, dance and chill-out music and comedy, held in the grounds of Eastnor Castle during early August...
music festivalMusic festivalA music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
. - Mountain MayhemMountain MayhemMountain Mayhem is a 24 hour mountain bike race held in the UK. It has been held annually since 1998 and usually occurs on the weekend nearest to midsummer.The 2011 event will be held at Eastnor Castle's Deer Park, Herefordshire.-Levels of competition:...
- mountain bike festival - Eastnor Castle plays host to the Firework Champions competition - www.eastnorfireworks.co.uk
- Eastnor Castle and grounds was host to events and the pit stop on the first leg of The Amazing Race 17The Amazing Race 17The Amazing Race 17 is the seventeenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 17 features 11 teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
External links
- Eastnor Castle - Wedding venue and corporate entertainment centre.
- Photos of Eastnor at Flickr